Western Community Action store moves to E. Bridge St.

Late last year, the managers of the Western Community Action thrift store in downtown Redwood Falls learned they had to find new quarters since the building they were renting had been sold....

By Joshua DixonStaff Writer

Late last year, the managers of the Western Community Action thrift store in downtown Redwood Falls learned they had to find new quarters since the building they were renting had been sold. “We had to look for a new location, and finding one with storage was a real problem,” said Lori Lerohl, of Western Community Action. “We looked at 21 different buildings all over Redwood Falls before we chose this one.” As long as the store was moving to a new location, the managers decided it was time for a new name. The business is now called “Bridge Street Bargains”. “We’re a shop now, not a store. We’ve moved up!” Landgraff joked. Volunteer Judy Landgraff said, “As you can see, it’s a bit smaller, so we’ve had to get more creative with space.” Moving all the items in storage took almost a month, and the new shop opened for business on Saturday, May 3. “Our first week, we had a lot of good comments,” said Landgraff. “We had to put everything out on the shelves, and it was going immediately. No kidding — we’d put a shirt out on a rack, and 30 seconds later someone would snatch it up.” “We need to be more selective about donations,” said Landgraff. “We can only accept them during store hours now. People used to leave donations outside our old store, but I think here on the highway people can’t leave stuff outside.” As before, the shop is staffed by volunteers, and any profits are used to support the homeless programs of Western Community Action, “which helps keep a case manager in our Redwood Falls office,” said Lerohl. The managers are hoping that with its more visible location on the highway, the thrift shop will get more customers stopping by. With that in mind, the thrift shop has new, expanded hours. “We’re open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 9 a.m. through 4 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.” said Lerohl. For more information, to make donations, or volunteer, call Margaret Palan at 507-537-1416, ext. 2116.